When the World Wants You
by BlackWing10
Summary: With Robin missing with a dangerous threat and most likely severely injured, Batman looks back on his many mistakes with Robin the past few weeks and how Robin's depressions caused more and more difficulty in battle.
1. Chapter 1

"If the world wants you, it's gonna keep on coming till it gets you. And who am I that can fix it? Who am I that can change this if the world wants it so badly? Who am I to stop the end of the world if it keeps on coming?"  
>― Patrick Ness<p>

oOo

"Is it not appropriate that the most precious among us are ignored until the day they are truly needed, and by then they are forever gone?"

Alfred had a point, but Alfred always had a point. _When was he ever wrong? _Bruce groaned internally. This was ridiculous, waiting like this for something good to happen. Bruce knew he should have listened to Alfred when there was a chance to do something about this problem. This problem he _hadn't _seen coming. How on Earth had he need seen this coming? He was Batman! He was supposed to see everything coming, _especially _when it concerned Dick. Oh, for God's sake, how had he _not_ seen this coming!

oOo

_**Two Weeks Earlier...**_

"No. Not this time."

"But why?! Bruce, I never get to see him outside of team business- And I can't be myself around them! Bruce, come on, just for a few hours, I promise I won't-"

"Dick, the answer is still no. I have important business to do today for Waynetech and I can't have this place in uproar while I'm working."

"But it's just Wally! And Alfred will make sure we don't-"

"Talk back one more time and you'll be grounded-_Robin too_. I have made my decision and I am going to stick to it, understood?"

"Yes," Dick sighed and turned out of Bruce's study making his way back to his room. And that's when Alfred showed up, a word of advice on his tongue as usual. "Master Bruce, if I may, perhaps Master Richard had a point. It would not be too much trouble for me to supervise them in their escapades, would it? It is true that Master Richard has had far less interaction with Wallace than is good for quite some time. Perhaps you can make an exception."

_And there you go, again, Alfred. _The man was practically Bruce's conscience, not like he didn't do enough for Bruce besides that. Bruce was just one of those stubborn people, however, that had a particularly hard time listening to this conscience of his. "Not today, Alfred. Maybe another time."

_Not today, Alfred._

Alfred had, of course, seen it coming. Today was a stressful day for Bruce. It was _that day_. The day that, despite having transpired years ago, burned the scars it had inflicted then with every bit as much fury now. And so Alfred let it pass. Master Richard didn't understand why Master Bruce was so tightly wound today, but tonight, Batman would most likely take a detour in his crime-busting for the night to leave a flower lying in Crime Alley, and then Robin would surely understand.

Bruce didn't mean to be so harsh with Dick, he really didn't. What he had said was true, though, today was a busy day. He had Waynetech work and Batman work to take care of before he went on patrol tonight. He really didn't want to have to consider not bringing Robin along tonight, but if this argument kept up, Bruce's word would have to hold.

_**That night...**_

"Bane is having a Mexican drug cartel transport a shipment tonight. This could be big."

Robin knew better than to say anything.

"Our objective is clear. Stop the transport. And, of course, your usual job still applies; watch my back."

A quick nod.

The ride in the Batmobile was silent, the stakeout at the docks was silent, even as Batman and Robin took Bane and his goons on, everything was silent.

Suprisingly, even the goons weren't too chatty. An occasional gasp when a caped hero appeared out of nowhere and a grunt of pain when a swift and well-placed kick, punch or jab would knock them unconscious.

Then Bane came out of the shadows and narrowed his eyes at the two silent partners. "How predictable of you. Coming and trying to...stop me." He spoke as if it was utterly ridiculous even to try stopping him.

Batman shot Robin a glance that rather obviously ordered him to go destroy the shipment that sat harmless on the dock.

"But, Batman! He argued desperately.

"_Don't question my orders!"_

Batman's menacing growl urged Robin into action, despite how boring and action-less the command was. Robin complied and fired his grappling hook, soaring to the boat that had the shipment aboard. And when he got there, it was a few simple moves to plant dozens of little explosives, all with his little cackle echoing from them. He cleared the dock in seconds and covered himself with his cape as a precaution when the explosion broke in the sky and light burst outwards.

When the heat died out a little he turned to see Batman engaged with Bane in what looked like a fast-paced and exciting battle. He was Robin, it was his job to help. He dashed across the pavement to Batman, eager to help.

It took a split second for everything to go wrong.

One of Bane's men had come back to consciousness and slipped a knife out of his boot, putting all his energy into that one stab. The stab that caught Batman unaware in the side.

While the exertion was enough to send the goon back into the realm of unconsciousness, Bane simply halted his attack and looked on amused. Batman speechlessly collapsed on the pavement with a thud that seemed to jerk Robin into action, so that suddenly, with a rage known only to Batman, he was charging forward with a fierce intensity and throwing all his anger at Bane. He only barely kept the hot tears from sliding angrily down his cheeks so that they remained in his eyes, blurring his vision so that a blind rage overtook him. Never so fast as then had Bane been taken out. When he lay unconscious with his venom tube yanked out of his head, Robin sped to Batman's side and immediately inspected the wound. He frantically radioed Alfred as he checked the pulse.

"Do you want me to come in the jet, sir?" Alfred's calm and reassuring voice questioned from the other end.

"I...Yes," Robin whispered. _This is all my fault!_ He screamed to himself. _He told you to watch his back, and you just rushed right in without even looking! _

Robin finally released his pent up tears as the pusle began to slow.


	2. Chapter 2

"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence"

― Vince Lombardi

oOo

Kid Flash was a little bit noisy when he ate, but he tried to keep it down as much as possible when in public. That wasn't enough for everyone, though, especially not Artemis.

"Would you quiet down?!" she hissed for the thirteenth time **(1)**. Standing in a movie theater munching as loudly as possible seemed to Artemis like the perfect way to ruin an evening. _If you can even call it that, _she thought. _This showing is at midnight, and I'm already about to fall asleep._

"Where's Robin?" Megan wondered. It wasn't every day that all six of them got to go on an outing together. "He said he would be here."

"Does he have patrol?" Kaldur wondered quietly, adjusting his turtleneck. It would be a major disaster if his gills were discovered while he was in public like this.

Wally sighed and swallowed his popcorn bite. Even with the extra large size, it would be gone before they sat down. "I texted him to ask if he could come. Batman must have said no to this, too."

Conner raised an eyebrow. "You asked him before?"

"If I could go to his place. I kind of expected Bats to say no to that one. But, come on, hanging with the whole team? AND no identity worries. No one wonders why you're wearing shades if you're watching a 3D movie. Dang, I forgot to tell him what we were seeing, maybe he didn't like the movie choice...?"

Artemis suppressed the urge to slap him upside the head. "When does Robin ever NOT text back immediately, dork? It's like you two were separated at birth or something..."

Kaldur looked around the theater and checked his watch. Turning to the others he made a decision. "The film will start in ten minutes. If he is not here in five, we must go see it without him. If he has not answered, perhaps something else is more... engrossing."

oOo

"Engrossing" did not begin to describe the situation. Robin was on his knees, pleading his mentor to say something.

"Batman, _please_! Come on, get up! Please wake up, I _need_ you!" It had always done the trick for him, when Robin himself was unconscious. Imploring the subconscious to listen to a call of desperate need. Dick needed to feel wanted,it was the circus in him. Growing up in a world of wonder with passionate people who were all close as family and extremely affectionate left its mark. He would've answered to a needy call.

Bruce wasn't like that, though. _Tell him something's wrong. Tell him the world needs him. Tell him you need him._

"Bruce, I can't do this alone. You have to wake up! You have to help me!" Trying not to envision the scolding that was sure to proceed whenever Bruce was able and had found out about Dick using his name in costume, Robin held back more waves of tears while gazing at his silent mentor.

White lenses lifted for a fraction of a second before drifting back into dreams. Robin was panicking.

He checked and rechecked his pseudo father's declining heart rate, listened to his breathing, prayed on and off, yelled at Batman some more and eventually broke into a fresh wave of self blaming tears.

Then, in a quiet moment in between sobs, a noise went off.

It took a second to realize someone was calling him on his comm link.

He sucked in a breath. _Idiot!_ He scolded himself. _Why was I not calling for help?!_

"Yeah?" He answered slowly, trying to gather his wits and go about this whole situation properly.

"Dude!" It was Wally, and he sounded somewhat ticked. "Are you coming or not? Because we're gonna have to go without you if you don't show in, like, five minutes. I even bought you a ticket, dude, but you weren't answering your phone. Oh yeah, about that, Artemis thinks you-"

Robin interjected before the speedster got carried away. "Wally, I need you to stop talking and listen to me, understand?"

Wally stopped taking immediately, sensing the urgency in his friend's voice. "Kay, man, I'm all ears."

"Batman's been stabbed and his heartbeat is fading. I can't get him anywhere as fast as you can and I-" He stopped for a breath when the words caught in his throat, amid choking tears. "-I just need someone to help me. Pier 17, the docks."

"Happy Harbor. On my way, Rob, hang in there."

Robin nodded as the connection cut, blinking back hot tears and then simply shutting his eyes when he failed.

_Failure. That's all I am tonight. Rushing into everything, so impatient. How does Bruce put up with me? I'll be better, Bruce, I promise. Just don't leave me..._

"Here!" Wally's voice bounced across the pier as he skid to a stop, in full costume, and knelt next to the fallen Bat and the sobbing Bird. "I'm here," his tone was quiet and reverent, an unusual fit for him.

"Can you carry him?" Robin whispered, wiping his eyes and meeting Wally's gaze.

The determination in his friend's eyes calmed the teary bird as the speedster replied firmly, "I will." In a blur, Kid Flash scooped up Batman and disappeared down the road.

Robin dropped his head into his hands and sank into his knees as his father zoomed to his chance of survival in the Cave, shrinking from a large dependable figure to a small black dot swept up in a streak of yellow and gone in the blink of an eye.

_Come on. You have to make it. You have to. I'll do anything. Just be alive..._

oOo

Artemis looked at the sliding door in disbelief. "So now the glutton has abandoned us too? Attached to the hip, those two. I meant it."

Kaldur again scanned the area and turned to give an assessment. "Perhaps something is wrong?"

Megan clasped her hands together, worried. "Oh, I hope not!" She whispered. She knew very well just how violent Gotham City could be. The television documentaries alone were terrifying.

"Should we do something?" Conner mumbled, ready for the wait to be over with.

"I myself have grown weary of suggesting patience as the answer. We ought to communicate to Wally and find out what's wrong," Kaldur decided.

With the shrugs of affirmation from the others, they simply walked out of the theater.

"So much for a movie," Megan sighed. When the others all looked at her, she blushed and defended herself, "Earth technology, it's all so interesting..."

Kaldur, checking the area to see if anyone else thought it refreshing to stroll around Theater Street in Happy Harbor at midnight and finding no one was that adventurous besides the four of them, pulled out his comm link and fixed it in his ear, calling Kid Flash and only getting silence.

His brow furrowed and the others became anxious. "Try Robin!" Artemis suggested.

Robin picked up with a hoarse voice and a heavy heart, but at least he picked up. "Aqualad?"

"Robin!" The Atlantean answered, relieved, and then switched his comm to speaker mode. "Are you alright? Kid spoke a few brief words with you and then left suddenly. Do you know what the problem is?"

A moment of indecisive silence, and then, "Batman was stabbed in the side tonight."

Artemis gasped and Megan covered her gaping mouth with a hand, while Conner and Kaldur looked at each other with concerned eyes. "I will not press at this moment for an explanation, but can we help in any way?"

Considering Kaldur's words, Robin hesitated yet again. "Get to the mountain and zeta to the Batcave. You know the code on the tube console?"

Kaldur stuttered, genuinely shocked, but responded, "Y-yes, I was told for emergency reasons, but...but, I thought..."

"This is an emergency."

"...What about Batman's rule? Will we not deduce your identity by venturing to the Batcave?"

"You won't as long as you stay IN the Batcave. Don't go upstairs or anything, and you won't figure it out. Batman brings civilians and others in there occasionally to administer serum and whatnot. I'm sure he won't mind..."_ I hope he won't mind,_ he didn't add.

Kaldur took in a breath and assured Robin, "We'll be there."

As Aqualad cut the connection, Superboy did some speculating. "Kid Flash is running Batman to the Batcave. That's why he wouldn't answer. Robin's probably making his way to the Cave, too, from wherever he is."

"Batman...stabbed..." Artemis mumbled to herself. It seemed impossible. Batman was an invincible titan. A dark knight that dwelt in never-dissipating shadows.

"I wonder how it happened?" Miss Martian whispered, suddenly afraid to use her outside voice.

"We will know when we need to. Now we make our way to Mount Justice," the leader once again made the group decision and the four heroes went jogging to the camouflaged bioship, hidden in the woods.

oOo

Robin swung from building to building, lighting briefly on each rooftop before flying to the next one. His every thought, every ounce of energy, was on following Wally and following the dark mass he held. Visions of the blood between his gloved fingers and the fleeting seconds in which white orbs flitted open pushed him harder and harder, faster and faster.

All of him pushed for the Cave.

oOo

**Merry Christmas to everyone who is reading this. This is your gift, Chapter 2, with an extra special cliffhanger to spice it up. Thank you to those who dropped a review on the last chapter, keep doing what you do! Please tell me what you think, if you think at all! **

**(1): This is one of the many "thirteen" hidden throughout my stories. Keep an eye out, there will be more.**

**Also, if you hadn't noticed, I am especially fond of alliteration and cannot help myself most of the time! Elisa thinks it's the poet in me. Prose has always been my favorite, though.**

**Do remember that reviews are a day-changer. Getting that one little email from Fan Fiction just paints the sky a brighter shade of blue! Have a Merry Christmas. **

**-Ava**


	3. Chapter 3

"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."

-Galadriel

oOo

Alfred never went without worrying when it came to the Bat-business, that was for sure. He would call Batman when he was out too long, and he would hastily call Robin when Batman did not pick up. If all else failed he would make two calls; one to Dr. Leslie Thompkins and one to Superman, asking Leslie to hurry over with her medical supplies assuming severe injury, and asking the Man of Steel to find the location of his charges, and most definitely staying in constant contact.

Alfred had called at midnight for his usual half-night check-in and without a response, was about to contact Robin when the zeta tubes suddenly whirred to life. Alfred took a step back, confused as to why someone from the League was coming and then heard the tubes announce Team members.

The butler was an intelligent man and he knew that on the chance that a teammate might recognize him, perhaps from the television, both Robin's and Batman's identities would be compromised. He quickly darted into the shadows before the Team materialized and applied a mask over his face, concealing himself. He held in a chuckle while the Team looked around wildly with awe and excitement, and, channeling the master of shadows in him, glided into plain sight and cleared his throat.

"May I assist you?"

All the teens jumped, some more subtly than others, and Aqualad, the quickest to recover, replied, "I'm afraid there was a situation..."

Alfred did not know what to make of the fact that Kid Flash was not present, but he was certain that this situation was a dire one, and was the reason for the lack of communication from the Bat and his apprentice. he swallowed down his fear and bid Aqualad to continue. Of course, the ever skeptical Artemis jumped in before the dark-skinned leader could explain. "Who, exactly, are you again?"

The butler forgave her imprudence immediately and replied, "I am Agent A. Batman's assistant from his very beginning. You can trust me, Artemis, I assure you," And just to prove himself, he went on, "And you are accompanied by Conner Kent; Superboy, M'gann M'orzz (or Megan Morse as she is known in her non-Martian form); Miss Martian, and Kaldur'ahm; Aqualad, and your leader. But where is Wally West; Kid Flash? Is there something I should be concerned about...?" He had pushed himself very hard to refrain from saying "Wallace" when referring to speedster.

Aqualad, once again spoke. "We were at a theater in Happy Harbor waiting for Robin. We did not know for sure if he would come, but Wally had texted him to ask if he would like to see a movie with us..."

"Whatever were you doing at a theater this late?"

"It was a midnight showing," Miss Martian explained. "Ah," Alfred bade Kaldur continue. The Atlantean did so. "Wally received a call from Robin. Batman...he was stabbed. Kid left to transport him here, which means he will probably arrive soon, if he knows the way. We arrived by zeta tube... Robin called us and told us to come here. He thought perhaps you would know what to do..."

The Team watched nervously as the old man took a shocked step back, placed a shaking hand over his heart, and then, to regain his composure, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Yes. I do know what to do. Please wait here." With that, Agent A swept to the computer and immediately contacted both Leslie and Clark. Batman had been stabbed before, but not while the Team was in existence. Perhaps they were simply overwhelmed at the fact that such a thing had happened to the seemingly invincible Bat.

Certainly living up to his title of "most faithful butler ever" Alfred waited patiently for the response that would save the Dark Knight's life

oOo

Kid Flash knew he was headed in the right direction when he saw the dark castle of Wayne Manor appear in his field of vision. He made straight for the Batmobile entrance and barreled right in, almost dropping Batman in the process. Agent A swiftly made his way over and placed his charge on the operating table. The Team members, still standing around awkwardly, took stock of the damage to Batman and silently made their way for the exit where KF had come in. Kid Flash himself noticed this and, after deciding Alfred had the situation under control, joined the rest outside.

"What, exactly, are you doing here?" he asked.

Artemis shrugged. "Robin asked us to come and make sure this 'Agent A' guy knew what was going on. Where is the little troll, by the way?"

"Heading here, I guess. I kind of left him behind. He knew I'd be faster, especially holding Batman. Not sure Rob would have made it here in time..." Wally responded regretfully. Conner raised an eyebrow. "Well, what took _you_ so long?" Kid Flash glared weakly before explaining, "Got lost once or twice. It's not like I have a mental map of the city." Suddenly spotting a small dark shape quickly moving in their direction, he pointed it out to the others.

"It's Robin." Superboy confirmed, seconds before the boy landed in front of them silently. "Where is he?" the urgent voice was somewhat raspy the others noticed, but they quickly responded and pointed into the Cave. Robin brushed past and was drawn into an intense but very quiet conversation with Agent A. Another noise drew the Team's attention back to the sky, where Superman's bright colors greeted them. The Boy Scout landed and scanned the group before also making his way inside.

The Team still said nothing when a grey-haired woman dressed in medical clothes rushed into the Cave as well. Knowing they would only get in the way, they waited patiently until Superman awkwardly made his way outside to them and said, after clearing his throat, "Looks like I'm not needed after all. I'm taking all you kids back."

And so , they went back in the cave, spotting the woman and Agent A rushing about and helping Bruce while Robin sat on another examination table, with his gloves, boots, and vest already taken off and already part way through pulling off his shirt. "Thanks guys," he mumbled in their direction as they made their way to the zeta tube. Kaldur nodded back at him and they all walked, one by one, into the tube and then materialized in Mt. Justice. Kid Flash and Artemis grabbed their things while Superboy, Miss M, and Aqualad all got ready for bed, all in deep thought.

Conner did his best not to make eye contact with Superman, and immediately stormed off into his room while Kaldur and Megan followed more cautiously. "So much for the whole movie thing..." Artemis whispered to Kid Flash as he entered his location into the zeta console. Wally shrugged it off. "Well, now I'm really hungry. Batman's a pretty heavy guy, that took a lot out of me..." and with that he dematerialized, Artemis and Superman following.

For each and every one of them, the entire night was simply awkward. Thoughts of Batman's injury, the mysterious Agent A, and Robin's predicament swirled around in their restless brains until sleep overtook them.

oOo

Leslie peeled off her gloves and wiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand.

Robin was automatically looking up to her expectantly, waiting for a report. The doctor looked at him and, deciding his own injuries could wait to be examined until afterwards, sat next to him and sighed.

"The knife itself didn't hit anything major. He's got a pretty tender wound, though, so he definitely needs to rest and make sure to not pull his stitches. He has no other concerning injuries except for the stab wound in his side, of course, so I cleaned and stitched it up. It will naturally heal on it's own, but he's already lost quite a bit of blood so the only thing he can do now is sleep. Make sure he does absolutely no strenuous activities and keep a watch out for internal bleeding. I don't want him pulling his stitches and bleeding out even more."

Alfred, who stood nearby with Bruce, cowl-less and without some parts of his suit, affirmed Leslie's requests and went in cleaning up after the medical crisis.

Robin let out a satisfied sigh before peeling off his mask and burying his head in his hands. Leslie drew him close and rubbed his back for him while he silently cried tears of relief. "So," she asked to lighten the mood. "Which baddie was it this time?"

Dick looked up and rubbed his eyes. "Bane."

Leslie nodded and continued rubbing his back. Having finished his cleaning of the area, Alfred looked up and hurried over. "My goodness, Master Richard! You must be freezing in only your leggings! Why don't we put on some tea and rest in bed..." Walking off with the silent boy, the butler looked over his shoulder and said to Leslie, who was gathering her equipment together, "Thank you very much, Dr. Tompkins, for your services and on such short notice. I believe I can handle these two for now. If something comes up I will contact you."

Dick barely touched his tea. Alfred looked sadly at the boy and helped him upstairs, leaving him with a short message of "Goodnight, Master Richard. Sleep well." But Dick knew he couldn't do that. Not if the nightmares tormented him again tonight. And he had no doubt that they would.

**IMPORTANT! If you have a good quote that might fit this story, please PM me! I'll give you a week or two to submit your answers. I know there's plenty out there that would work and you guys are all creative. **


	4. Chapter 4

"Someday, the weight of the world will give you the strength to go."

-Linkin Park

oOo

Blue eyes opened slowly, drinking in surroundings and remembering the events of last night.

The ebony catapulted out of bed and was in the Cave within seconds, where Alfred was already changing Bruce's bandages. He looked up, not at all surprised, and simply said, "Breakfast is upstairs on the table. You may come back down when you have eaten it."

Alfred returned upstairs to see that Master Richard had indeed eaten some of his breakfast, but his appetite seemed to have run out after one or two bites. The boy himself was nowhere in sight. After doing a fair bit of searching, Alfred found that he had gone up to the roof and was taking in the view, obviously in very deep thought.

"Master Richard?" Dick didn't turn around, but softly replied, "Yes?" Alfred sighed deeply and, against his better judgement, ventured onto the roof with him and sat, carefully, next to him. At this, Dick swiftly turned and gaped for a moment before composing himself and asking, "You're up here? Why?"

The butler chuckled and answered, "You obviously need someone to talk to, Master Richard, and I am happy to provide the service, even if it requires going quite a bit outside of my comfort zone." Dick smiled weakly and pulled Alfred in for a hug. After the moment had passed to an extent, Alfred asked the difficult question. "I can tell you feel very responsible for Master Bruce's current situation, but why?"

Dick didn't speak at first. He looked out at the city around him and thought for a moment. "I do feel responsible," he finally admitted. Alfred rubbed the teen's back gently before admitting himself, "Master Richard, I should be responsible. I told you I was coming in the jet to help you, and then I did not. I hadn't enough time to refill the fuel. I should have filled it beforehand, and I did not, so you were forced to seek your friends' help. I failed him and you as well."

"But Alfred, you've never failed us. You were always there. Wally was a better option than the jet anyway, he was faster. I'm the one who let Bruce get hurt in the first place. He gave me a job, and I got so caught up I forgot to do the first job Robin was meant for; watching his back. And look what happened. I failed him Alfred, not you."

Alfred nodded quietly to himself. It appeared this problem would have to be rectified by Bruce himself if it was to be truly rectified. "Well, as the saying goes, Master Richard, everyone makes mistakes. You are not an exception. Perhaps when Master Bruce wakes up, he call tell you his thoughts on the matter. Come along, it' cold up here. You look as if you need some hot chocolate."

oOo

Bruce hadn't woken up at all yet and, although Alfred had promised to keep him posted, Dick went to school that day with a sense of uncertainty in the pit of his stomach. Barbara couldn't help but notice his downcast demeanor over the course of the school day. For a hyperactive and talkative kid, he had mostly kept to himself the entire day. Barbara, being suspicious and wanting answers, had decided to ask him at lunch what had gotten him in such a bad mood.

How was she to know that Batman being stabbed would matter at all to Dick Grayson? She wasn't the only curious one, however. A certain Artemis Crock had also noticed this strange behavior and sat at the table where Dick and Barbara normally hung out to search for some answers. Barbara didn't like Artemis much, although she would never admit that it was because she was jealous of a non-existent relationship between the blonde and her best friend that had formulatedin her mind after Artemis' first day and Dick's attempt at being "friendly to the new girl."

Dick sat down and began to pick at his food absentmindedly while Artemis sat down across from the two friends. Dick mumbled a hello to the blonde, who replied with a 'hello to you too'. Barbara put aside her dislikes and decided not to glare at Artemis for the entirety of the lunch period. To begin the investigation, she took a bite out of her sandwich and asked him, casually, "How's your day going?" Dick looked at her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and said, "Fine. How 'bout you?"

"Great! So is there something going on I don't know about or something?" The redhead asked, much in a way that reminded her of her dad. Dick frowned. "No. Why do you ask?" Babs shrugged and, keeping her voice casual, said, "No reason. You've just been quiet all day." Dick laughed halfheartedly. "Oh, I've just been thinking." _Don't be curious, don't be curious! _He mentally pleaded. _I haven't lied to you yet, please don't make me start now..._

But Barbara was always curious. "About what?" Dick didn't lie. "Bruce," he replied quietly. Both girls at his table knew his relationship with Bruce was both strained and emotional and neither of them would ask too deep a question in such a personal situation. This Dick was counting on. "Oh. Everything okay?" Artemis cautiously ventured. "Fine." And so Dick quietly excused himself and the two girls looked at each other and sighed simultaneously.

_Close one! _Dick thought nervously as he trudged back to his locker.

oOo

Dick had tried to keep his exhaustion and frustration at bay for the remainder of the school day after narrowly avoiding an intense questioning by Barbara and Artemis. When the final bell rang and Alfred pulled up to take the boy home, Richard had barely buckled his seatbelt before he asked the question that had been in his mind all day, "How's Bruce?"

Alfred pulled out of the school's grounds and began the drive to the Manor with a calm and unreadable look on his face. "Master Bruce is doing fine. He woke up shortly after you left and has been in and out all day. He isn't in too much pain as I just added some painkillers to his IV and, yes, Master Richard, he wishes to speak with you. Now may I ask how your school day was?"

Dick slumped in his seat. "Fine," he mumbled, expecting the butler to chastise his bad manners, but Alfred remained silent and appeared to be intensely concentrating on the road in front of him. There was a good and a bad side to the information Dick had just been given. Bruce was doing okay and therefore he had no reasons to stress, but Bruce wanted to talk to him and Dick was at least ninety percent sure it was going to be a lot more scolding than talking to him.

He was right.

It had taken every ounce of self-control the boy had to keep from pouncing on his mentor and squeezing him in a tight hug the moment he walked in to the Cave. If nothing else, Bruce's expression certainly discouraged the idea enough.

Alfred recognised the tension in the room and left quietly so the two could "talk". Dick started off awkwardly, "How are you feeling?" Bruce kept his voice level, for the most part concealing his undertone of disappointment in his ward. "I'll be fine." Both of them knew that meant; the blade hadn't been poisoned. It was usually unlikely for a small-time criminal to carry a poisonous knife, but lately Batman and Robin had uncovered several interesting cases in which simple robbers or low-class drug dealers would have such dangerous weapons on them.

Thankfully Bane's goon hadn't been one of those men.

"So," Dick started off again. "You wanted to debrief me?" Of course, Alfred had only said that Bruce had wanted to "talk". Both Bruce and Dick knew the true purpose of the discussion, but neither wanted too urgently to begin it. "I did," came the answer. Dick nodded and sat down on a seat next to the bed his mentor lay on and fixed his gaze on the floor as the man began.

"You did one of your tasks correctly, that was good. I was informed that the shipment was destroyed even if Bane escaped. Your second task was not so well done. Your job was to watch my back; you failed. The primary reason for Robin's creation was to provide backup to Batman. That is still your primary job, and you failed. You disobeyed one of the most important rules of being Robin; you let your emotions control you.

"After our earlier discussion, you became intent on proving yourself, and in that action you caused a mission to go completely south and jeopardized lives. You are better than this, and you know it. Seeing how this mission went has caused me to have to make a decision concerning Gotham's protection during my recovery that you are not included in. Until I can patrol again, the League will be taking shifts in Gotham which you are to stay out of, is that clear?"

Dick grimly nodded before making eye contact briefly with his surrogate father and leaving quickly. He could only dread the next few weeks to come.

_ This'll be one long recovery._

oOo

**hello again! Sorry for the wait, this is a bit of a bridge chapter and it took some motivation to pump it out thanks to the current frenzy I'm in over my newer story, "The Underworld Age". Another chapter of that should be up in a day or two, if anyone was wondering what on this good Earth could halt my five chapter writing streak on that one. Please review! I never know if anyone's really out there in the virtual world until I hear from them...**

**Have a good week, virtual people.**


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